Your spine is very strong and flexible, containing numerous structures, including bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves. The spine is made up of 24 individual bones called vertebrae, the sacrum and coccyx (tail bone). There are discs between each of the vertebrae that act as durable shock absorbers and allow flexibility in your spine. Your spinalcord travels down the central canal of each vertebra and exit the spine as nerve-roots, carrying information to and from your brain to the rest of your body. Considering all of the above, it is understandable that occasionally pain or dysfunction occurs. One of the reasons why back and neck pain often needs help to resolve is that the body will allow for other levels of the spine to compensate and does not give the injured structure the opportunity to return to normal function.
- Acute and chronic neck and back pain/injuries
- Recurrent headaches
- Poor postural alignment and control
- Shoulder and arm pain, referred from the neck
- Sciatica, referred by the lower-back or hip.
- Stiffness and pain of the thoracic spine
The treatment may include:
- Mobilization and manipulation of stiff joints
- Soft tissue stretching or release
- Range of movement and strengthening exercises
- Postural alignment retraining
- Spinal/pelvic ``Core`` control/stability retraining
- Ergonomic advice